


Court gossip

by Tossukka



Series: Court Gossip [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-15
Updated: 2011-12-15
Packaged: 2017-10-27 09:24:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tossukka/pseuds/Tossukka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Merlin tried to look stubborn and not like he had been sleeping with the Crown Prince of Camelot the previous night. He had a feeling he was not convincing anyone.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Court gossip

**Author's Note:**

> The second and last part of "Court Gossip" series.

## Court gossip

“Well, don’t you look bright and shiny today? Did anything... special happen to make you glow that way?”

Gwen had a knowing grin on her face. Pictures flashed through Merlin’s mind. _Arthur’s hands on his skin and Arthur’s mouth against his lips, his throat and further down._

“No,” Merlin said and shrugged. “Nothing I can think of.”

“Aw, come on, Merlin! Tell me!” Gwen pleaded. “Arthur almost dragged you from the Great Hall with him last night.”

“He always does that!” Merlin objected. _For every word or compliment Arthur had ever left unsaid, there had been a kiss to make up for it._

“He does, but after that and you being all happy today and... Morgana swore she could hear Arthur _humming_ earlier this morning.”

Merlin let out a small laugh and put a hand in front of his mouth. _In the end, after teasing that felt like hours, Merlin came deep in Arthur’s mouth, Arthur’s fingers buried inside him._

“Sorry, can’t tell anything now. I need to run some errands for Gaius, and Arthur said he needs me after he comes back from the training with the knights,” Merlin said and turned to continue his journey.

“I just bet he does,” Gwen muttered and made Merlin grin even when she couldn’t see his expression anymore.

Merlin was quite distracted when he walked towards Gaius’s rooms. He kept imagining the previous night, head full of images of Arthur on top of him.

Oh God. He needed to pull himself together if he wanted to get anything done today.

\---

“Gaius, are you here?”

“Merlin! Good! I was beginning to wonder where you were,” Gaius said when he came in sight. “I hear you had an eventful night.”

“You could say that, yes,” Merlin said and tried not to look entirely obvious of what exactly made his night so eventful. _Hands in his hair when they kissed. Merlin pulling Arthur’s cock out even when neither of them was completely undressed._

“And I hear one of the sorcerers just dropped without anyone having to touch him. I take it was a very lucky coincidence it happened just when he was going to attack Arthur?”

“Very lucky indeed,” Merlin said although Gaius’s tone wasn’t accusing. _Arthur’s mouth for once not throwing affectionate insults but saying his name over and over again next to his ear, like a prayer or a word one had been looking for a long time even when it was waiting just on the tip of their tongue._

“No one noticed you?”

“Would I be here if anyone had noticed?” Merlin said avoiding the real question.

“Not even Arthur?”

“Um...” Merlin said and then decided to go for the truth. “Apparently Arthur has known for quite some time, but hasn’t mentioned it before. So he noticed, but I think no one else saw anything.”

Gaius nodded. He didn’t seem terribly surprised to hear that Arthur already knew about Merlin’s magic.

“I was going to send someone looking for you. You were not sleeping in your own bed last night,” Gaius pointed out and made Merlin blush. _So much naked skin all around him and still it wasn’t enough just to touch and to kiss._

“Yeah, about that...”

“I _also_ hear that the Crown Prince took you away quite quickly after the meal ended last night.”

“You shouldn’t listen to every piece of gossip Gwen tells you,” Merlin said and tried to look stubborn and not like he had been sleeping with the Crown Prince of Camelot the previous night. He had a feeling he was not convincing anyone, the least of all Gaius. _Afterwards when they had both found a release, they had laid on the bed facing each other, just looking and touching and wondering if it was real at all._

“So I take it you and Arthur have finally...”

“I think you said you had something for me to do?” Merlin interrupted. “I need to do everything before Arthur comes back from the training.”

Gaius’s look was knowing and made Merlin blush again.

\---

When Merlin arrived on the field where the knights were training, it was already almost over. Arthur was giving instructions to a couple of the knights, showing them how to correctly do some of the finer sword movements, and the rest of them were talking and laughing in smaller groups.

Merlin’s arrival made some of the knights nudge each other, look at his way and grin in a knowing way. The chattering quieted enough for Arthur to notice something was up, but he just glanced around and when he spotted Merlin, he went back to what he had been doing. Merlin just waited, trying to get the lump out of his throat.

In the morning Arthur’s eyes had been full of surprise and wonder when he found Merlin still beside him in the bed. They had not had time for more than one kiss, because Merlin had to get up and fetch Arthur’s breakfast, so that the Prince wouldn’t be late for the training. But there had been _Looks_. Merlin tried not to feel the fear of _what now?_ when Arthur pointedly ignored him for the next ten minutes. The other knights did not though, and when they went past him on their way back inside, Merlin received several pats on shoulder, some wriggling of eyebrows and winks and especially the knights closest to Arthur were smirking knowingly at him. Honestly, with all the secrets everyone in this city seemed to hold, the news were apparently travelling pretty fast.

When Arthur came to him, he didn’t meet Merlin’s gaze but only took the water Merlin was offering and gave the helmet and sword for him to carry. Merlin had no idea how to react to this kind of behaviour, so he just changed feet awkwardly, until Arthur finally said:

“Let’s go and get these off of me. I have a meeting with my father soon.”

Merlin nodded and followed Arthur through the castle to his chambers. Surely he couldn’t have been reading the signs this wrong? What if everything Arthur wanted was just one night and some pleasure, and then he would throw Merlin aside again?

_Whispers were pressed against his skin in Arthur’s bedroom. The fire was already fading, but it was warm under the covers where Arthur’s chest was against his back, and Arthur didn’t seem to be able to stop kissing his neck._

When they got in Arthur’s chambers Merlin went to remove Arthur’s armour without a word, and if he had looked up, he would have seen the slight frown of worry on Arthur’s face.

“You didn’t come to see the training today.”

“Yeah, sorry. Gaius wanted me to do something,” Merlin said keeping his eyes on what he was doing.

Arthur shrugged, and then there was silence again with only the small noises of metal and leather unfolding.

“Would you _please_ stop looking as if I kicked your puppy and tell me what is wrong with you today?” Arthur finally said annoyed.

“Nothing is wrong,” Merlin said and then after a moment added: “Sire.”

Arthur grabbed his wrist and made Merlin look at Arthur’s face.

“What is wrong? Did I do something?”

And now Arthur’s expression was full of affection laced with a bit of anxiety.

“No! I just... I...” Merlin felt uncertain. How could he ask _the Crown Prince_ anything like this? Everyone else seemed so certain that Arthur and him were meant to be. An item, really. Gwen, Gaius, the knights, even the bloody Great Dragon in the cave under the castle. They were all so sure that there was something more between them, and from Merlin’s part there was, but what if Arthur didn’t want there to be?

“Stop thinking! For an idiot like that, you clearly over-think a lot of things.” And this time Arthur’s tone was amused. “Could you finish with the armour so we can talk more comfortably? And do not think while doing it!”

Merlin finished, and when he put the last part of armour on the table, he was dragged at once on Arthur’s arms, and he found Arthur mouthing his lips apart with a tongue. Merlin pushed his fingers in Arthur’s hair and kissed him back, relief filling him.

“You’re sweaty,” Merlin pointed out when they parted. “Disgusting.”

“That’s what you get for thinking too loud.”

Merlin smiled a bit and went to get a bowl of water so Arthur could wash. While Arthur washed, Merlin tried not to look how the water was dripping from Arthur’s hair or running down his throat and chest. Arthur noticed him pointedly not-staring and sighed.

“I can’t _believe_ you are making me have this conversation after last night,” he muttered and then walked to Merlin without pulling on his shirt.

“Look. I don’t know how you expect me to behave after...” Arthur began but stopped in the middle of a sentence. Merlin was going to interrupt, but Arthur brought one hand up to silence him. “I am not very good at this. What I want to say is, I really do like you, Heaven only knows why but I do, and I don’t want you to think that I don’t, just because I don’t show the affection in public. I already fear that how I feel is only too obvious for some people, but I’m the Crown Prince of Camelot and have to hold up a calm and collected shell even when that’s not how I feel. If you’re worried that I didn’t pay attention to you on the field...” Arthur took a break and looked at Merlin again shaking his head.

“What can I say? The knights _know_ , because they know _me_. I don’t want to give them more reasons to tease me or take away their respect for me. If I had shown how I truly felt when I saw you again... If they knew what I had been thinking all morning...”

And this, Merlin realised, was the closest thing to a confession of love Arthur had probably ever let himself say out loud in his life. The thought made him a bit breathless and a lot giddy.

“Gwen told that Morgana heard you humming this morning,” Merlin said and closed the small gap between them.

“I’m glad you weren’t watching the training today. How do you expect me to concentrate when you look at me like that?” Arthur said, and it sounded almost like a growl.

“Like what?”

But Merlin understood exactly how he must have been watching Arthur when the man looked at his body slowly up and down. It made Merlin’s throat dry.

Then Arthur was pushing him against the wall and kissing his skin everywhere. The neckerchief was pulled off, and Arthur was kissing and nibbling Merlin’s neck and moving the shirt so he could press his lips on his collarbone. And then they were kissing again, and Merlin felt he could never get enough of it. He would never truly be satisfied unless he felt this man pressed against him _just like this_ and the lips on his and the tongue in his mouth.

“When did you say you had the meeting with the King?” Merlin asked when Arthur was mouthing his neck and pushing his shirt up to touch his ribs and stomach. His own hands were touching Arthur’s naked skin restlessly.

“Too soon for us to be doing this,” Arthur answered but didn’t remove his hands from Merlin’s skin.

“You really should go. I still have to polish your armour and your sword before tomorrow,” Merlin said but held Arthur close and pushed his own tongue between Arthur’s lips and was pleased to hear a groan.

After a moment, when Arthur had made distracting progress at making them both hard and having Merlin’s shirt removed, despite the fact that they seemed to be glued to each other by lips, Merlin pushed the other man a bit.

“Really, you have to go. We have time for this later. You...” One more kiss. Just one more. “You need to go, before I decide I never want you to leave this room again.”

Arthur pulled back, gulping for air and nodding.

Before Arthur left, he gave Merlin a kiss on a cheek and said “ _See you later_ ” with a voice that made Merlin’s toes curl. But Merlin had things to do, and he knew the best way of distracting himself of these kinds of thoughts was to keep busy with other things. He took Arthur’s laundry and left the room to deal with them first.

When it was finally getting dark outside and Merlin made his way back to Arthur’s chambers with the supper, Merlin was ready to cut off his brain. His thoughts had been driving him _crazy_ all day even when he had not seen Arthur since he had left for the meeting with the King. Merlin was sure that he’d had a ridiculously soppy expression on his face all day long, and Gwen kept shooting him amused grins. Even Morgana had stopped him in a corridor and asked him to tell her if there ever were any troubles; Merlin was quite sure that Morgana had used the expression “ _If he hurts you I’ll have his balls for breakfast_ ”, and all Merlin could do was to mutter a quick thanks and slip away as soon as he could.

The kitchen maids had been throwing Merlin some quite nasty looks, as if he’d took the place as a Prince’s bed warmer from one of them. They had pointedly ignored Merlin’s attempts of getting food, and finally Gwen had felt sorry for him and went to get Arthur’s supper from the kitchen. When she brought him the tray, she whispered that she put some extra on the plates, so Merlin could ask to share the meal with Arthur. This made Merlin flush, and Gwen giggle.

Merlin looked at the room. He had been cleaning here before, changed clean sheets for the bed and polished both the sword and the armour. He had the supper ready and warm and a fire burning in the hearth. There was nothing for him to do except to wait, so he took off his boots, placed them next to the bed and sat down. He took the book from the table. It was the one he had once found Arthur reading and which Merlin had been reading that one time when Arthur had found Merlin curled on his bed. The thought made Merlin grin, and he curled on the bed again and opened the book. He had not finished it the last time.

When Arthur finally came back in the chambers, he found Merlin in that position. Merlin didn’t notice before Arthur coughed softly to announce his presence.

“You certainly look comfortable spending time in my rooms. Settled in already?” Arthur asked.

Merlin smiled lazily to him from the bed and heard a small catch in Arthur’s breathing. Merlin put the book aside on the table and got up. He was going to put his boots back on but saw Arthur watching his bare feet in amazement, and then again, the floors were not yet cold, so he didn’t have to bother with the boots.

This time it was Merlin who walked to Arthur and stole a slow, tender kiss. He held his hands gently on Arthur’s shoulders, and Arthur put his on Merlin’s hips. It was an oddly intimate moment, in a way Merlin’s cock in Arthur’s mouth or Arthur’s fingers inside him hadn’t been.

“So how was your day, sire?” Merlin asked grinning when they parted.

“It was fine,” Arthur said and sat down. “Too much talk, too little action. And I can’t even begin to understand how every person in this castle has already found out about... well, us.”

Merlin snorted and mumbled:

“Tell me about it. What did the King say?”

“He had heard the rumours, of course, and was acting like I had just confirmed all his greatest fears. He didn’t exactly give us his blessing, but you’re still my manservant and he didn’t try to go and remove you from my service to other duties.”

Merlin smiled. He served Arthur like a good manservant was supposed to, until suddenly his stomach let out a loud grumble. Arthur looked at him surprised.

“Haven’t you eaten anything today?”

“Well...” Merlin squirmed. “I think the kitchen maids were not too pleased when they heard the gossip and they... kind of... didn’t let me eat there. Gwen had to go and get your meal for you.”

“Ah,” Arthur said and did not seem overly surprised by this. “Sit down and eat something then.”

“I... What?”

“Oh please, Merlin. It isn’t the first time you’ve nicked food from my plate. This time you actually have a permission to do so. In fact, this is an order. Sit. Eat.”

Merlin sat on the other side of the table, and Arthur looked smug.

“I took longer than I was supposed to. This is already cold,” he said when he took a piece of meat.

“Oh, sorry,” Merlin mumbled and moved his hand once above the food, and suddenly it was steaming hot again. Arthur looked at him in amazement.

“You actually just did that, didn’t you?”

“What?” Merlin looked up from the piece of bread he was paying most of his attention to. Then he realised what he had done and flushed. “Sorry, maybe I’m getting a bit _too_ relaxed in your rooms.”

“It’s alright. I’ve just never seen magic done so... casually.”

Merlin rolled his eyes.

“Of course you haven’t, because you have been taught that all magic is evil. I, on the other hand, was five when my mum was worried that freeze may have killed all the crops on the field, and I made them grow again overnight,” Merlin said and when Arthur raised an eyebrow, he added: “It’s not such a big deal for me! I just do what I can to help people! You use the power you have, and I use mine! It’s that simple.”

“I don’t really know if I should be horrified or extremely turned on,” Arthur responded and turned back to his food. “I thought I told you to eat.”

Merlin ate quietly and noticed he had been quite hungry. What he also noticed was Arthur throwing seemingly casual glances his way. The man had been acting as though Merlin’s magic did not bother him at all, and he had _known_ , for Heaven knows how long, but still...

Soon when all they had in front of them was empty plates, the last piece of cheese on its way to Merlin’s mouth, Arthur asked him to attend the fire, so they wouldn’t freeze during the night. Merlin only had to move his hand a bit, and suddenly there were two or three logs more in the fire, and it was burning a little brighter. Arthur stared at him and groaned a bit. Merlin wiped out the crumps of bread from his shirt and then caught Arthur’s gaze.

“Oh hell, I did it again?” he asked. He shouldn’t have been this careless with his magic! He usually wasn’t! But being in here made him obviously way too comfortable...

“You have absolutely no idea, do you?”

“Idea of what?”

“How hot it is when you do magic like that? I’ve definitely decided if I should be horrified or turned on by now.”

Arthur got up from his seat and walked to Merlin. He wiped the last bread crump from Merlin’s face with his thumb and leaned in for a kiss. He was pulling Merlin to stand up too and to Merlin’s amusement there really was a bulge in Arthur’s trousers. Merlin had to stop the kiss to let out a delighted laughter.

“You, Your Royal Highness, are a pervert. You are actually turned on by magic.”

“Am not,” Arthur said but was already pushing Merlin towards the bed and moving his lips on Merlin’s jaw. When Merlin fell on the bed, Arthur was quick to remove his boots and climb on top of him.

“I’m not turned on by the magic,” Arthur said and slid his hands under Merlin’s shirt. “But what makes me extremely turned on, is that you have that kind of power, and I can still make you polish my armour.”

Arthur’s smile was so cheeky that Merlin didn’t have to even think about it, before he had already done it. In a few seconds, Arthur was the one pushed against the mattress, with a little help from Merlin’s magic, and kept in place with only a thought. Arthur groaned, and the sound made Merlin feel a bit hot himself.

“What shall I do next? You do realise I have complete power over you right now, _sire_ ,” Merlin whispered next to Arthur’s ear. “I could do unimaginable things to you... Oh wait, I have an idea!”

Merlin was straddling Arthur’s thighs and closed his eyes.

“Merlin, what are you...?”

“Hush, let me try this.”

And when Merlin opened his eyes, they were burning gold, and the sight made Arthur swallow. Merlin moved his hands slowly over Arthur’s body, and all Arthur’s clothes were removed and piled neatly on the side table. Merlin grinned at him, and his eyes were blue again.

“Nice one, eh?”

“Oh God, Merlin. Let me go, so I can touch you!” Arthur pleaded, but Merlin didn’t let him go. Not quite yet. He pulled off his own shirt and then started placing kisses and touches all over Arthur’s upper body. What Arthur didn’t know, was that it was also a huge turn on for Merlin to have all this power and physical strength at his mercy. He did plan on letting Arthur go at some point, but before that he wanted to drive the Prince wild with want. A kiss on throat gave him a hitch in Arthur’s breathing; biting one shoulder gave him another groan. He reached as low as Arthur’s lower stomach with his nibs and licks and kisses when he noticed Arthur wasn’t making noises anymore. When Merlin looked up, he saw the blond biting his lip so hard it must have hurt.

“All right?” Merlin asked, but when Arthur only nodded, Merlin returned to hover right on top of the man’s body and touched Arthur’s lips with his thumb before leaning in for a kiss. All of Arthur’s desperation seemed to be on that kiss; it felt like the man was trying to grab Merlin with his lips, because his limbs were out of order. Merlin kept his hands on Arthur’s hipbones and draw small circles there, while Arthur was sucking his tongue and trying his best to get closer.

“You can be loud if you want to. I _want_ to know you’re enjoying this as much as I am,” Merlin said and brushed Arthur’s ear with his lips. The movement also made Arthur’s cock momentarily brush against Merlin’s still clothed hips. Merlin grinned; Arthur whimpered (which he would deny later, of course, because Arthur never _whimpered_ ).

Merlin sat up, straddling Arthur’s thighs again and asked:

“Where did you put the oil last night?”

Arthur nudged his head towards the bedside table, apparently it was as much as he could move, and Merlin made the small bottle hover to them through the air. He caught it and placed it next to one of the pillows. Then he moved his hands over his own legs, and his trousers disappeared only to appear again next to Arthur’s clothes on the table.

This had been quite fun, but Merlin did really want to feel Arthur’s hands on his skin soon. When he snapped his fingers, Arthur was suddenly free and didn’t waste any time rolling them over.

“You horrible _tease_ ,” Arthur growled when he had Merlin pinned to the bed. Merlin only smiled sweetly up to him.

“What are you going to do about it, my lord?” he asked, and Arthur attacked his mouth with lips and tongue and teeth all the while moving his hands all over Merlin’s body.

“I’m going to make you come so hard you pass out for a moment. What do you want, Merlin? My hand, my mouth?” Arthur gasped between kisses.

“I want you inside me,” Merlin said without hesitation. He did want all of Arthur, but all he had been able to think the whole day was Arthur coming inside him. Fingers just were not enough.

“Oh God, yes,” Arthur said and took the little bottle in his hand. Arthur kneeled between Merlin’s legs and took some calming breaths. Merlin brought his knees up and widened his legs invitingly. Arthur poured some of the oil on his fingers and made sure they were properly slippery before reaching behind Merlin’s balls.

The first finger was a slight burn and more than anything, brought back memories of the previous night. Arthur didn’t linger too long and added another one soon enough. This was how far they had been last night. Merlin had really, _really_ wanted to ask Arthur for more even then, but they had both been a bit too overwhelmed and too tired to do anything more than they had done.

But now! Now Arthur was scissoring him open and adding third finger and the burn was _almost_ too much. Merlin looked at the man between his legs who was being so careful and preparing him calmly and attentively, although he must have felt the same kind of burning need Merlin did. And then Arthur found _That Spot_ and made Merlin close his eyes, so the man wouldn’t see them glow golden again. Merlin had a habit of losing the full control of his magic if he lost the control of his body and mind, so during sex almost anything could happen. Hopefully nothing outside this room, but you never really knew.

“Arthur, I’m ready. Please...” Merlin moaned, and Arthur looked at him. Only looked, and Merlin looked back.

“Alright.”

And then the fingers were gone, but Merlin could feel something else nudging him open.

And then there was Arthur who was leaning on top of him and looking at him with that already familiar amazement in his eyes. Merlin pushed one leg around Arthur’s thighs and pulled, making demand, wanting this so much it almost physically hurt. Arthur was pushing his other leg upwards to ease the angle.

It should’ve felt ridiculously soppy and romantic and girlish, but somehow it didn’t because this was _them_ , and it had always been them in one way or another, and this something happening between them had only been a question of time. Tomorrow Arthur would probably wake Merlin by snoring too loudly or hitting him with a pillow and ordering him to go and get him some breakfast. They would go on with their chores like usual and return to acting calm and subtle with their attentions to each other in front of the knights and listen to Gwen’s teasing and maybe hear more about destinies and sides of the same coin from the Great Dragon. They would return to fight against the enemies of Camelot and legendary beasts that were supposed to be extinct. Legends might later remember the union of the mighty warrior king and the greatest sorcerer world had ever known; remember them fighting side by side to destroy evil and to create the great, peaceful kingdom of Albion.

Right that moment none of it mattered, because it was only them, Arthur and Merlin, alone in this room, breathing the same air.

“Come on, Merlin. I won’t last long,” Arthur murmured close to his ear and stroked his cock, trying to squeeze the pleasure out of it. The release built inside Merlin slowly, like a flood where water level rose so gradually that it was hard to spot the flooding at all and, oh God, Merlin was going to drown in it soon. He kissed Arthur, and they were just there, hips moving in unison and mouths trying to get the taste of the other’s skin. When Merlin finally came, the small, ugly flowerpot on the table broke, sending pieces everywhere, and then Arthur was coming, too, and biting the sounds of his release in Merlin’s neck. The neckerchief would hide the mark tomorrow, but both Arthur and Merlin would still know it was there.

“You made that happen?” Arthur said when he had pulled out, and Merlin was lying against his chest eyes closed and dozing off.

“Yeah. I sometimes... When I come I... Yeah.”

“I was that good?” Arthur said smugly, but Merlin couldn’t bring himself to do much more than to slap Arthur’s arm. “You do realise you have to clean that, too, tomorrow? And without using magic!”

“Yeah well, I’m more worried of the sheets. If I have to start changing them daily, I really do hope that the laundry maids are not angry with me, too. I think your father wouldn’t appreciate if I had to use magic to clean over here, just because the maids weren’t speaking to me.”

Arthur’s laugh was soft and happy against his hair, and it was the last thing Merlin heard before falling asleep.

-fin-


End file.
